Glasgow Distilled: February 2019

06/02/2019

Here at Wester we’re not only proud of our home city, but of the little corner of Glasgow where we produce our spiced rum too. From Mansfield Park in the east, where students shoot hoops for hours and the bi-monthly farmers market brings the best fresh produce to the area, to Thornwood in the west, where craft beer and artisan pizza favourites have set up camp, and old shipyards never disappear out of sight for too long, Patrick is one of the quintessential Glasgow areas. It’s vibrant and multicultural, with a strong sense of tradition and community. We’re happy to call it home. Every Saturday and Sunday at 12 noon, 1.30pm and 3.00pm we run a distillery tour here at our Meadow Road headquarters, where you can learn about how we produce our spiced rum and get a cocktail masterclass too. Why not visit us and then hang around to see what Partick has to offer? Here are some of our favourite places to pass time in the neighbourhood.

Sparklehorse

A stone’s throw from the Kelvinhall subway station, the Sparklehorse frequently pops up when conversation turns to the West End’s best bars. There are few better places for pub grub; staples like Steak Pie are given the personal touch and there’s loads for the veggies amongst us, with specials too - on rotation every weekend. On Sundays the average age of punter drops significantly with the popular Baby Disco, and on Mondays the famously challenging quiz has a loyal following. When the sun makes an appearance, you can park yourself on Dowanhill Street and watch the world go by.

Six°north

Inspired by the best in Belgian beer, back in 2013 Robert Lindsay decided to start his own brewery in Stonehaven - you guessed it - six degrees of latitude north of Brussels. That European culture and tradition lives on at their wonderful Partick venue; beer comes in pints as well as ⅔ or half measures depending on strength. Bar snacks are revered; black pudding and haggis scotch eggs, meat and cheese platters if you’re peckish.From the main menu we love the steamed shetland mussels, served in their own wanderlust wheat beer, white wine, cream and garlic sauce. The house beers are triumphant and the food always worth staying for.

Basta

That community spirit we mentioned earlier? Basta has it in spades - their motto of ‘Unity in the Community’ is not only upheld but sang from the rafters. This is socially conscious food that comes from a morally wholesome place. With an eye on the home country, the Polselli flour, Strianese tomatoes and Extra Virgin Olive Oil come directly from Italy, but a lot of what’s on the menu comes from the nearby Sandy Hill Community Garden. Best of all, the pizza is seriously delicious, mesmerising even, the best dough in town. We get hungry just thinking about it.

Bibi’s

What’s more fun than Mexican food? What’s better than spicy treats washed down with frozen margaritas or cold beer, or both? Not much, in our book. Patrick own intimate pocket of Latin America can be found at our neighbours, Bibi’s Cantina. All the staples of the area are covered with generously portioned tacos, quesadillas and fajitas, and there are more adventures to be had on the menu. One of our favourites is the chilli rellenos; those deep-fried jalapeño peppers stuffed with soft cheese.

Honu

How bold is this; fried chicken with waffles, and then hot sauce and maple syrup, or hazelnut ice-cream and blueberries? Forget how it sounds, which is amazing obviously, it tastes unbelievable too - comfort food that’s out of this world. Honu’s got more where that came from, all inspired by the pan-pacific area. There’s delightful small plates, including gyoza dumplings and teriyaki beef donburi, and then bigger plates to satisfy the heftiest of appetites, the Hawaiian-inspired Halloumi, King Prawn Tempura or Chicken Katsu burger, and the colourful feast for the eyes (as well as the belly) that’s the signature poke bowls.

St Louis

For brunch and breakfast, for a nightcap and everything in between. St Louis is a home from home for the residents of Partick in all the right ways. With an extensive offering of draught and bottled beers, cocktails and wine, there’s rarely a quiet night to be had at a venue where live music and poetry nights are frequently programmed, the weekly quiz runs every Tuesday, and DJs liven things up every weekend. As well as their life-giving fry ups, we love the signature gumbo - the lightly spiced Louisiana stew.

Up

Established in 2015, you can tell Up was born out of a passion for decoration and design, and after a few successful years that’ve drawn attention from far and wide, it’s another local business putting Partick firmly on the map. Whether you have some furniture or lighting needing fixed up, you have a commission in mind, or you’re looking for inspiration to jazz up your home - Up is worth a visit, with three rooms of quirky vintage and upcycled goods to peruse.